Avoiding danger for kids on Iowa farms

On Tuesday, 60 kids from eastern Iowa and the tri-state area learned how to stay safe in agricultural settings.

The National Education Center for Agricultural Safety on the Northeast Iowa Community College campus hosted Progressive Agriculture Safety Day.

Kids ages eight through 12 learned about everything from safety with animals and farm equipment to protecting themselves from the sun.

Dan Neenan, the center's manager, said it's critical that kids learn about safety on the farm.

"For the last two years, farming's been the most dangerous occupation in the nation," Neenan said. "Last year there were 596 fatalities and another 70,000 disabling injuries. Of those 596 fatalities, about 100 of them every year are kids under the age of 18."

The center has hosted Progressive Agriculture Safety Day for kids for 12 years now. The program runs three times a summer and reaches a total of nearly 300 kids in eastern Iowa and the tri-state area every year.

In September, the National Education Center for Agricultural Safety will hold a harvest safety class for local teenagers.